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| DJ Cuppy |
Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola famously known as DJ Cuppy, is the pretty daughter of billionaire oil magnate, Femi Otedola.
In this chat monitored by SHOWBIZPLUSng, the 21 year-old fast rising disc jockey spoke on several germane issues, including her rumoured romance with music star and father of one, Ice Prince.
How was growing up like?
I will say that growing up was actually
colourful. I used to be a very playful and naughty child that always asks
questions. I am always intrigued by things. There was a time I turned my living
room into a studio. I was always very playful. I grew up here in G.R.A, Ikeja,
Lagos. I had fun while growing up.
How did you come about the name, 'Cuppy'?
My stage name as we all know is DJ Cuppy.
It comes from the word Cupcake. This is so because, when I was 15, I was
obsessed with Cupcake. I was trying to choose a stage name at 15, I choose DJ
Cupcake and I asked myself, would I like to be called Cupcake when I will be in
my 20s'? Actually, friends were calling me all sorts of names, that was how I
chose the name, 'Cuppy' and that is my name now.
Tell us about your journey into music?
I have always loved music even as a child
and I am also very passionate about young people. I also have this believe that
knowledge is power. That should not also deny you the opportunity to chase your
dream because, that is where you will find full satisfaction. I am greatly
honoured when young people approach me to say that they like what I am doing. I
am also, establishing my own company which is into publishing and management.
DJ Cuppy is really the baby of the company. I have a 10 year plan of touching
many lives. Not necessarily, young people, but a lot of people. Look at my
journey now, I am still working on establishing the brand Cuppy, with a
compilation of some songs from me.
What is your album all about?
I have some tracks in the album, there is
one I entitled, "I love my people". That one talks about the good
stuffs of Nigeria. I tried as much as possible, to carry our cultural settings
in the music.
Have they been commercially released?
Yes, they have been released last year
2013 July. It is a new version of old songs. One thing that I am very passionate
about is my country. I have lived half of my life in Nigeria and the rest in
UK, so in my songs, I reflected the culture there. It is something I am very
passionate about. I also make sure that when ever I am in UK or any part of the
world doing my job, I take a piece of Nigerian songs with me. I love Nigerian
music, I am proud to play Nigerian music anywhere. I also play house music
which I think makes me unique.
Do people take you serious considering
your gender in the business?
I understand what you are saying. People
give me shows, but there are times when, I get to a show maybe with my manager
and they will be looking at my manager as the DJ and myself as someone who
accompanies the DJ to the show. They did not see it as a norm and it is something
that people do not expect for a young lady to choose to be a DJ.
Nigerians are more used to contemporary
Hip hop than House music, how do you intend to stay relevant in the industry?
I think it is something that has to do
with process. Everything is with time. If you look at old music in Nigerian,
even though Nigerian musicians sings different music and we have seen different
influences from different journals. So, Nigerian music now is not the same way
it used to be back in the days. So now, music is what people use to socialize
and there is a new wave of sound going on around. I don’t know how many music
any one of us here listens to. There is a new music going on now, "Shona
by Mafikizolo", there is a big market for that now in Nigeria. You know having
a sound like that raining in Nigeria shows the fact that people are ready for
new sound in the country.
How supportive are your billionaire
parents in your choice of career?
I will say that I am very lucky because I
have the most supportive parents in the world. I think generally, what stops a
lot of young people from following their passion is when they do not have any
support. Young people these days have too much of information. I have the most
supportive team in the world. My parents pushed me to be the best version of
myself. I think it is all about being the best version of myself and not trying
to be someone else. I think I am very lucky to have the kind of parents that
are pushing and challenging me to be the best I can.
How do you react to insinuations that your
success so far is from the influence of your rich background?
A lot of times, people get distracted by
the background information. I am where I am following my dreams and doing a
very exciting project. Yes maybe it is perhaps shadowed by my personal or
family life and it is quite difficult. The way I view it, I think time tells it
all; eventually, talent and passion speak for itself. People have actually
walked up to me and ask; 'are you really a DJ?' I laugh over things like that.
I would not say it is a big disappointment. Maybe perhaps, I got a job for the
wrong reason. I am a very honest person, I can only hope that people start
identifying me with what I do and have passion for.
I think that in life, we all have
different platforms. Everyone has their own personal balances but it is all
about execution. Do I go to my job and do well? Yes. It is no doubt that people
can get opportunity because of different reasons but that will only take you
for a short while. After sometime, if you are good at what you do, you will not
have any reason to fear. I am glad that I am here doing what I love.
How cheap or easy is it to book a billionaire’s
daughter to Dee Jay an event and don't you think that your background will
intimidate prospective clients?
It is all about planning and putting
myself in a position where people will like to hire me as a DJ that does the
services that people need. I think when we look at the monetary side of it,
that is when I talked about how to commercialize and turn it into business.
That is why I spoke about other things that my company will do in the future.
As I said, I am a producer, maybe in the future I will start collaborating with
other artistes. I am also passionate about film and production, that is where I
will also like to go into.
It is all over the internet that you have
something with Ice Prince, how true is that?
Ice Prince is a friend of mine and we are
actually working on a new song together.
When you told your mum about your DJ
career, what was her impression and immediate reaction?
My mother has actually been my everything.
She has been so supportive of my career. She is such a strong woman, I will be
happy if I can be half of what she is. All I know is that, it is always good to
do what you love. When you do what you love, you are likely to do well. And
when you do what you love, you are unlikely to fail. If I have another option,
I think I can still see myself doing what I love. I love to do business and
that is why I am combining music and business together. From onset, I have
always have this entrepreneurial spirit, I know I will run my own business one
day. That, I will say I got from my dad.
You were made the official DJ for the
MAMA's can you share the experience with us?
Yes, I was actually the official DJ for
MTV African Music Awards this year. That is interesting, a big gig. It is
actually very interesting because, they approached me and said, we love what
you are doing especially, with house music. Talking about different sounds in
Africa, house music is very big in South Africa and like I talked about the
song, Khona. We see a lot of people coming into Nigerian music and the industry
is very big as well as the South African music industry. It was a great gig
with the job I did. I have done DJ work in different countries including Mexico
which was very fantastic. My job keeps me on my toes and I get to see different
things. I am always up for a challenge.
Have you thought about getting married and
having kids?
That is a very interesting question and I
think it is all about work and balance. To be honest, I am not very good at
leisure because I work all the time. Like I said, I am not just a DJ, I run a
music company. I wear different positions at all time. It is just a balance of
everything. Being in a business that is mostly dominated by men, makes me more
comfortable and confident. I don’t feel like I want to fall. It also makes me
work quite harder. I believe, pampering is not good because, no one wants
someone that is not ready to learn. I would say that 'settling down' will be in
the long run. It is something that I am looking forward to. I just started and
I am going for world domination. I also think it is important to put your
attention in what you do and be focused and all these things will come later.
At MAMAs, many were impressed with your
display. How did you manage to sieve through the huge number of music resources
available at your disposal?
I always say that, it is a job and you are
there to satisfy your client. For me, if the dance hall is free, it means that
I am not doing my job. It is a matter of research. Before I went for that MTV
award, for like a week, I was busy researching for South-African music. I was
compiling music, it is my job, it is what I want to do so, I make sure I am
prepared for any gig. There are times, that I will be asked to play a song that
I don’t have, I will be on the sport downloading the song immediately. Also for
me, I am very hard on myself. I make sure I am very well prepared. My mother
always tells me, if you fail to plan you plan to fail.
How good are you with your mother’s
tongue?
Honestly, I embarrass myself with Yoruba
language but I do have a full understanding. I have lived half of my life in
Lagos and London. I love their culture and tradition. It is not all about speaking
the language, but the way you greet and interact with people are the things I
learnt here in Lagos. I fully understand it, but I embarrass myself sometimes.
FEMI SALAWU- ENTERTAINMENT EXPRESS
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